Water, War And The Mideast

In the arid Middle East, water is life itself. For this reason, there can be no peace between Israel and its neighbors unless all parties are assured of the water resources upon which they depend.

The United States recognized this when President Dwight Eisenhower sent Ambassador Eric Johnston to negotiate a unified water plan among Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Jordon. Agreement was reached on a technical level in October, 1955.

Syria and Lebanon were allotted the full amount called for by ``the Arab Plan``--132 million and 32 million cubic meters (mcm.), respectively. Jordon was allotted 480 mcm., sufficient for all its irrigable land. The agreed plan rejected Israel`s demand that the waters of Lebanon`s Litani River be included in the agreement along with those of the Jordon River and its tributaries.

Despite the Arab states` refusal to ratify the agreement, it has in fact been fully implemented. The U.S. quietly informed all parties that it would only support water development within the framework of the agreement. Israel completed the National Water Conduit, which enables it to utilize 95 percent of its water potential. Jordan carried out the East Ghor Canal project, so that former desert areas now being irrigated produce large quantities of fruit and vegetables for export. As the U.S. had intended, Johnston`s successful mission contributed significantly to economic progress and stability in the region.

But the Arab states had other considerations. In these, water was to be a means, not an end. The aim, then as now, was Israel`s destruction. The Arab heads of state, meeting in Cairo in January, 1964, decided to carry out

``spite`` diversions of the headwaters of the Jordan. Two out of the three main sources of the Jordan, the Hasbani and the Banias, were to be diverted into the Yarmuk River. (The third river, the Dan, is a few meters inside Israel.) A high dam would deny Israel any of its waters, diverting all of them into the Ghor Canal. Had this work been completed, war would have been inevitable.

As it happened, the Arab states, led by Egypt and heavily armed by the Soviets, decided in 1967 that they were ready to eradicate Israel militarily. The Six-Day War, however, disappointed their expectations. It left Israel in control of the Golan Heights and all the sources of the Jordan River.

Any peace proposals will have to take into consideration that in light of the Arab states` attempt to divert these waters, no Israeli government can ever be expected to relinquish this control.

The same holds true for Judea and Samaria. Though it is the security imperative for Israel`s retaining control of these areas that is usually discussed, the retention of control of their water resources is no less vital to its continued existence. Israel draws more water from their two main aquifers, which extend on both sides of the watershed, than it gets from the Jordon River Basin. Only unified, controlled management of the water resources of the entire area west of the Jordon River can prevent over-exploitation, which would lead to sea water seeping in and causing irreparable damage--a catastrophe for all its inhabitants.

Israel does not permit any action which would endanger the long-term safe yield of ground water, and thus, the welfare of future generations. It does, however, scrupulously respect existing water rights. Arab domestic use of water tripled in Judea and Samaria since 1967, and though agricultural use remains constant at 67 mcm., the introduction of modern Israeli methods of irrigation and agriculture have led to a twelvefold increase in yields.

Peace discussions with Jordon can center on the degree of autonomy for Palestinian Arabs living in Judea and Samaria and on how they can more fully enjoy all the benefits of their Jordanian citizenship. Israel`s final control of these areas is not negotiable. For if the Arabs were free to tap the aquifers to their hearts` desire, they could turn Israel`s coastal plain back into a desert.

With water potential almost fully exploited, Israel is concentrating on desalination, cloud seeding and improved recycling of waste water. A substantial improvement could come with the construction by Jordan of the Makaren Dam on the Yarmuk with its estimated flow of 500 mcm. per year. The U.S. government has already undertaken to provide $150 million and talks are in progress with international bodies to help finance this billion-dollar project.

With Syria and Israel directly affected, however, this project can only be undertaken in the context of an agreement such as that negotiated in the 1950s by Ambassador Johnston, which would ensure the population between the Jordan and the Mediterranean would receive an equitable portion of the water. The necessity for neighborly cooperation to assure future water needs would strengthen the peace process. If ignored, it would eventually lead to war.